


What Goes On

by scrabbledad



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Beatles - Freeform, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Maybe angst, Reader-Insert, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:54:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 20,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25929235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scrabbledad/pseuds/scrabbledad
Summary: During your middle school years, you were always in advanced classes. This meant being in class with some of the same kids every year. Tsukishima Kei was one of them. You guys had been in the same class for all of middle school.At the end of your last semester of middle school, you hear Tsukishima and another one of your classmates, Yamaguchi Tadashi, discussing their plans to attend Karasuno High School.Looks like another year of Tsukishima for you. This year, you were determined to become at least his friend.This was proving to be a lot harder than you originally intended.
Relationships: Tsukishima Kei/Reader
Comments: 12
Kudos: 112





	1. What Goes On

Growing up, you had always been a smart kid. In middle school, you were always in the advanced classes. This usually meant you were with some of the same kids in class every year. Namely, Tsukishima Kei. Somehow, in seventh, eighth, and ninth grade, you had been in the same class as him. You weren’t really friends with him, but both of you had somewhat of mutual respect for one another, the two of you almost always being top of the class. 

In the last semester of middle school, when everyone was disclosing which high school they'd be attending, you heard Tsukishima and another classmate, Yamaguchi, saying they’d both be attending Karasuno High School. 

Great. That was where you were going too. 

Somehow, you and Tsukishima were always fated to be in the same classes as one another. Your first year in high school was no exception. 

__________________________________________________

It was a rather chilly April day, your first day at Karasuno High School. You went up to where the class schedules were posted and saw you would be in class 1-4. Whether you realized it or not, your eyes searched for Tsukishima Kei on the list. When you saw he would be in your class again, you were almost relieved. It was weird having been in the same class as someone for so long and not actually being friends. However, Tsukishima, Yamaguchi, and yourself were the only ones who came from your middle school in class 1-4, so you thought maybe this would be the year that you became friends with Tsukishima.

This was a lot harder than you originally planned. 

After checking the schedule, you shouldered your bag and began the walk to the first year hallway. You found class 1-4 homeroom and checked in with your teacher, who pointed you to an assigned seat. You were one of only three people in the class so far, neither of the others being Tsukishima or Yamaguchi. 

You took your seat near the window and pulled out your phone and headphones. When you were in a new place, familiar music helped you calm down and made you feel more welcomed. You put your headphones on and turned on an old English song your mom used to play for you.  **_What Goes On_ ** by The Beatles rang in your headphones as you waited for more people to come to class and for the day to begin. 

**What goes on in your heart?**

**What goes on in your mind?**

**You are tearing me apart**

**When you treat me so unkind**

**What goes on in your mind?**

You glanced at the door and saw Tsukishima and Yamaguchi walk in together. You noticed in middle school, they were always together. 

You had spoken with Yamaguchi before, as he was the friendly one between him and Tsukishima. He heard you were going to Karasuno at the end of middle school and reached out to say hi, and that he’d be going as well. 

After receiving their assigned seats from the teacher, Yamaguchi saw you and walked your way, Tsukishima tailing behind him. Tsukishima had his headphones loosely around his neck, as he’d taken them off when talking with the teacher. You paused your music and took off your headphones. 

“(L/N)-san!” Yamaguchi said, waving. 

“Hi, Yamaguchi-san.” You replied, bowing your head slightly. 

He waved his hand, “Please just call me Yamaguchi.” He smiled endearingly. “This is Tsukishima Kei,” Yamaguchi said, referring to Tsukishima who was already putting his headphones back on and taking a seat next to you. “It looks like the two of you are seatmates by the way,” Yamaguchi added on, while Tsukishima stayed silent. 

You looked at a disinterested Tsukishima. He didn’t look back at you, but you still thought it best to introduce yourself. “Nice to meet you Tsukishima-san, I’m (L/N) (Y/N), but I actually prefer to go by my first name, so you can call me (Y/N). You too Yamaguchi.” You smiled at the two boys. Tsukishima just slightly nodded his head, while Yamaguchi smiled back. 

“Well, my seat’s over there, I should go get settled down. Nice to talk to you (Y/N), maybe you can join me and Tsukki for lunch, since none of us really know anyone else yet,” Yamaguchi suggested. 

“Sure, I’d love to!” You bowed your head again as Yamaguchi waved and walked to his seat on the other side of the class. 

There were still a couple of minutes until class began, so you glanced over at Tsukishima again. His eyes were closed, his arms were crossed, and he radiated a ‘do not talk to me’ vibe. 

You sighed and weighed the options, don’t talk to him and let him be, try to talk to him and get ignored, try to talk to him and have him get angry, or talk to him and a friendly conversation ensues. You knew the last option was the least likely. You decided to write him a small note on one of your pastel notepads. 

_ ‘How was your spring break Tsukishima-san?  _

_ -(L/ _ _ N) (Y/N) :)’ _

You stuck the note in the corner of Tsukishima’s desk and he didn’t notice, his eyes remained closed. You sighed silently and turned to face the window again. Since you had your notepad out, you began to draw little doodles on it. You drew the moon and the stars, little planets too. 

Once the school bell rang, signifying the start of the school day, you put your notepad away and took out your school supplies. Tsukishima did the same, putting away his headphones and phone, and taking out his supplies. 

You watched him out of the corner of your eye as he picked up the note you left on his desk. He read it and then crumpled it up, putting it in his backpack. 

Your jaw dropped as he just crumpled up your attempt at being nice to him. 

_ ‘What a jerk.’  _ You thought to yourself and looked towards the front of the room at the teacher. 

Becoming friends with Tsukishima was going to be a lot harder than you thought. 


	2. Getting Better

The first week of school went by far too quickly. Even though Tsukishima was your seatmate, and even though you were eating lunch with him and Yamaguchi, he spoke a total of four words to you in the first week. 

“You dropped your pencil,” Tsukishima said to you on Thursday morning. He handed your pencil back to you and went back to his stoic self. You stated your thanks, but you weren’t sure if he listened to you. 

On Monday of the second week of school, you were starting to doubt your plan to befriend that rude, walking beanstalk. However, now you were beginning to become better friends with Yamaguchi, which made you wish to be friends with Tsukishima even more. 

You were the first person to get to class this morning. You walked to your seat by the window, setting down your bag and putting your headphones on. You played another Beatles song. Your mom introduced you to them when you were little so the music comforted you and made you feel all warm. Today's song was  **_Getting Better._ **

**I've got to admit it's getting better (Better)**

**A little better all the time (It can't get no worse)**

**I have to admit it's getting better (Better)**

**It's getting better**

**Since you've been mine**

You closed your eyes and leaned back in your chair, waiting for the day to begin. When you felt someone's presence next to you, you opened your eyes and peeked over to see Tsukishima sitting down, Yamaguchi standing next to his desk. You removed your headphones when Yamaguchi waved at you. 

“Morning (Y/N)!” Yamaguchi said, enthusiastically for 8:25 in the morning. 

“Morning Yamaguchi,” you replied, sleepily. 

“Have you joined any clubs yet (Y/N)?” Yamaguchi asked. Most people tended to join their clubs within the first couple of weeks of school. 

You shook your head, signifying you hadn’t found a club yet. “I just don’t know what I want to do. In middle school, I was a part of the swim club, but my times just haven’t been improving so I don’t think I’m going to join the team here. I was thinking about maybe the science club though!” 

“Tsukki and I play volleyball! We had our first practices last week and our first three-v-three match this past Saturday,” Yamaguchi said, smiling. 

“You guys play volleyball? That’s so cool! In middle school, I almost joined the girls' volleyball club, but I went with the swim club instead. I just love how weightless I feel in the water,” you stuck your arms out to either side, mimicking floating on your back in a pool. “It makes sense that you guys play volleyball though! Yamaguchi, you look almost six feet tall, while Mr. Beanpole over here is well over the six-foot mark. Right, Mr. Beanpole?” You asked Tsukishima, teasingly. 

He huffed slightly. “At least I’m not a runt like you.” 

Your jaw dropped. Not because he insulted your height, but because Tsukishima finally talked to you. You began to laugh. 

“EVERYONE is a runt to you! You tower over literally everyone in our year! If I hadn't known you from middle school, I definitely would’ve thought you were some third year in a first-year class!” 

Tsukishima glared at you while Yamaguchi tried to hide his laughter. 

“Anyways, I’m glad you can actually talk, Tsukishima-san. This past week it’s been like I’ve been talking to a wall,” you laugh again, Yamaguchi smiling too. 

“Of course I can talk. I just choose not to talk to annoying runts,” he shrugged his shoulders and put his headphones on. You just laughed in response to this, glancing up at Yamaguchi. 

“Don’t worry, (Y/N), Tsukki is like this with all of his friends.” 

You smiled at what Yamaguchi said. He called you Tsukki’s friend. Hopefully, this could be the beginning of an actual friendship. 

_______________________________________

Every morning, you got to class before Tsukishima and Yamaguchi. You would wait for the two of them to appear and you’d have a friendly conversation with Yamaguchi while Tsukishima sat there with his headphones on. You used to get a little annoyed that Tsukishima would just ignore you and Yamaguchi like that, but one day while Tsukishima was in the bathroom during break, Yamaguchi told you a little secret. 

“Tsukki isn’t always listening to music when his headphones are on. If the people around him are having a conversation, he’ll turn his music off and listen in. He just doesn't talk a lot.” You laughed a little at this, it made perfect sense. It was a way for Tsukishima to not have to participate in the conversation, but still be able to be a part of it. 

After Yamaguchi told you this, you started to engage more with Tsukishima, even with his headphones on; doing small things, such as directing little comments towards him or asking him questions. 

One morning you asked him, "Tsukki, what kind of music do you listen to?" 

"Don't call me that, Runt. And I listen to everything," Tsukishima huffed in response. You sighed, Tsukishima just loved not telling you anything about himself.

You, Yamaguchi, and Tsukishima were becoming a pretty close bunch. It was about a month since school began, and you ate lunch with them every day, as well as hung out with them during class breaks.

It was May now, the heat starting to get to you. You stopped wearing your spring uniform to school, opting to wear the summer uniform in order to combat the warmth. 

You had your headphones on again this morning, as you walked towards the homeroom for class 1-4. You had a small skip in your step as you listened to  **_Good Day Sunshine_ ** , once again by the Beatles. 

**Good day sunshine**

**I need to laugh, and when the sun is out**

**I've got something I can laugh about**

**I feel good, in a special way**

As you enter the threshold of your classroom, you noticed Tsukishima and Yamaguchi are already there. You took off your headphones. 

“Good morning, Yamaguchi, Tsukishima!” You smiled and walked their way. As you approached your seat, you noticed a small, crumpled note on your desk. It looked a lot like your own pastel stationery. You put your things down and picked up the note. It read; 

_ ‘How was your spring break Tsukishima-san? _

_ -(L/N)(Y/N) :)’  _

But there’s a new addition, written in Tsukishima’s neat handwriting. 

_ ‘Fine. Runt.’  _


	3. Girl

Ever since Tsukishima responded to the note you gave him on the first day of school, you find yourself writing little notes to him more often. 

On the day before the Golden Week holidays began, you took out your stationery and wrote him a message. 

_ ‘Tsukki! What are you doing for Golden Week? Do you and Yamaguchi _

_ wanna hang out with me sometime?  _

_ -(Y/N)’  _

You stuck the note on his desk in the middle of a lesson. He glanced over at you then read what you wrote. You watched him neatly scribble his reply. 

_ ‘Volleyball training camp. Don’t have time for runts anyways.  _

_ And stop calling me Tsukki.’  _

He placed the note back on your desk and you sighed as you read his reply. This meant you’d most likely be spending the holidays by yourself again. 

You started to let Tsukki’s busy schedule during Golden Week get to you, when an idea popped into your head. You began to scribble your reply to his answer. 

_ ‘Training camp? Does that mean practice matches? Can I come cheer you guys on?  _

_ I don’t wanna spend the holidays alone  _ >.< _ ’  _

You smiled and put the note back on his desk. He looked perplexed, not expecting a response. Tsukki opened the note back up and read what you had written. He almost laughed at your idea. He wrote only two words in response. 

_ ‘Absolutely not.’  _

He slid the note back your way and you opened it, hoping he would agree to your idea. Your head dropped when you read his  _ heartless _ reply. You didn’t write a response to his note, thinking it would be better to try and convince him during lunch break. 

You glanced at the clock and sighed, there still being thirty minutes until lunch, when you could pester Tsukki about letting you cheer for the volleyball team during their practice matches. 

Your attention shifted when you saw Tsukki’s arm move out of the corner of your eye. He placed a note on your desk that was from his green stationery set. 

_ ‘Don’t even think about bothering me to say yes.’  _

It’s like he had read your mind. You quietly laughed, wondering if you were that predictable. You didn’t bother responding to his note, you just folded it up and put it in your pencil case. Even if Tsukki didn’t want you to watch the practice match, you’d find a way to convince him. 

Or you’d just have Yamaguchi give you the details. 

____________________________________________ 

“Oh, come  _ on _ Tsukki. How bad would it be if I came to cheer you on? I mean what’s the worst that could happen?” You, Tsukki, and Yamaguchi were sitting together eating your lunches. 

“The entire world could end, runt,” Tsukki said monotonously, even with his hyperbolic statement. “And stop calling me Tsukki.” 

“I highly doubt the world would end if I came to watch your practice match,” you huffed and watched him put his headphones on over his ears, basically telling you to buzz off. 

You sighed and then got an idea. You watched Tsukki press play on his music and pull out a book to read. 

When he wasn’t expecting it, you snatched the headphones off his head. 

You took them and began walking out of the classroom. Tsukki was so shocked, he didn’t follow you at first. He just watched you walk away with one of his most prized possessions. 

As you walked out of the class and down the hall with Tsukki’s headphones, you put them on your own head and pressed play on his music. Apparently, you and Tsukki had a similar music taste.  **_Girl_ ** by the Beatles began to play. 

**Is there anybody going to listen to my story**

**All about the girl who came to stay?**

**She's the kind of girl**

**You want so much, it makes you sorry**

**Still you don't regret a single day**

You stop in your tracks, recognizing the song. It fills your body with warmth and the feelings of home. Your cheeks were burning while listening to the lyrics, for reasons you didn’t quite know. 

Not realizing you had stopped in the middle of the hallway, you felt the headphones slip off your head, the song stopping. You turned around to face Tsukki, who was glaring down at you. 

“Why in the world did you think taking my  _ headphones _ would help your case? Now, no matter what, I’m definitely not going to say yes to you coming to the match,” Tsukki spat before he began to walk away. 

“Wait, Tsukki!” You walked after him, your pace needing to be slightly quicker due to his long legs. “You listen to the Beatles?” 

“Don’t call me Tsukki. Yeah, I listen to the Beatles. And so what, it’s none of your business anyways,” he scoffed at you, not bothering to look at you. 

“Don’t scoff at me. I just didn’t expect you to listen to them. The Beatles are my favorite band, they remind me of home and my mom,” you followed Tsukki back into the classroom. Yamaguchi looked at you as if he was surprised you were still alive after stealing Tsukki’s headphones. 

“Good for you, runt.” Tsukki was clearly not happy with you. 

You sighed as he took his seat. “I’m sorry for stealing your headphones, Tsukishima. I didn’t know you’d be this upset. I just really wanted to come see your practice matches. I’ll try not to bother you about it again,” you said, your tone serious as you took your seat next to him. “ **_Girl_ ** is a really good song by the way. And it’s nice to know we have something in common, other than being smart.” 

You went back to eating your lunch quietly. Yamaguchi watched you while Tsukishima read his book with a disinterested face. 

Once you were done eating, you returned your bento to your bag. You got out your headphones, plugging them into your phone and getting ready to take a walk through the building for the rest of the lunch period. 

You stood up and Tsukishima and Yamaguchi both looked at you. 

“(Y/N) where are you going?” Yamaguchi asked you. 

“Just for a walk. Excuse me,” you flashed a smile at Yamaguchi before putting your headphones on and playing your favorite Beatles song.  **_Julia_ ** reminded you of the empty park near your house in the winter. It filled your body with nostalgia and sadness. Yet the beauty in the song is undeniable. It’s an alluring sorrow. 

**Half of what I say is meaningless**

**But I say it just to reach you, Julia**

You didn’t mean to make Tsukishima so mad. You didn’t know taking his headphones would set him off so much. You were just trying to be a playful friend. 

Maybe Tsukishima just saw you as an annoyance, not a friend. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here is the link to the playlist i made to go along with the story! i'll update the playlist as i update the fic :)   
> thank you guys for almost 40 hits and 5 kudos! i know that's not a lot, but i'm still super proud and excited!   
> new chapter tomorrow hopefully!


	4. Nowhere Man

You returned to the classroom with no time to spare. As you sat down, the bell signifying the end of the lunch break rang. You placed your headphones back into your bag and pulled out your supplies for the next period. 

As you were settling into the beginning of class, you noticed a small, folded note on yellow stationery. You knew that wasn’t Tsukishima’s stationery, as you saw his green notes earlier that day. You unfolded the note and read its contents. 

_ ‘Sorry about Tsukki, he doesn’t like when people touch his things.  _

_ Why don’t you walk with us to practice after school today?  _

_ -Yamaguchi :)’ _

You smiled and gazed over at Yamaguchi across the classroom. He was looking at you with a smile on his face. You flashed him a thumbs up, telling him that you would walk with them. Only two more hours until the end of the day, then the Golden Week holidays would begin. Even if you weren’t going to watch the boys volleyball team, you could still have a good time on your own. 

Instead of paying attention in your last classes of the day, you thought of how to spend your few days off. 

Before you even realized it, your daydreaming was cut short by the bell signaling the end of the day. You packed up all of your things, grabbed your bag, and walked over to Yamaguchi’s desk, Tsukishima trailing behind you. 

“Yamaguchi, thank you for the note. I appreciate it,” you smiled and he returned the favor. 

“Of course, (Y/N). I’m excited for you to see where we practice! Also, maybe you’ll get to see some of the team members. There are some crazies on this year's roster, but I think you’ll like them all,” Yamaguchi finished packing his things away and slung his bag over his shoulder. 

“To volleyball practice!” You laughed and walked out of the room, side-by-side with Yamaguchi, Tsukishima falling behind you both. You glanced back at Tsukishima, offering him a small smile, trying to be friendly, even if he was still mad at you. His face remained uninterested and he put his headphones on. You sighed and went back to facing forward. 

“Is Tsukishima always like this? I apologized to him, is he really that mad?” 

“He’s just not comfortable with people touching his things. It’s something you get used to after knowing him for a while. Also, I don’t think he’s mad at you anymore, I think he’s just trying to make you feel flustered about it,” Yamaguchi laughed awkwardly. “He likes to dangle his friends on strings and make them dance.” 

You sighed and slumped your shoulders at Yamaguchi’s words. “No wonder you’re the only person who likes him. He can be a real pain to get to know. But, I’m not gonna give up yet! After all we are seatmates and we’re always in the same class,” you straightened your shoulders, with a new pep in your step, you continued walking with Yamaguchi towards the volleyball club room. 

You turned around and looked at Tsukishima. “Tsukki, what song are you listening to right now?” 

“None of your business, runt.” 

“I’m just  _ curious _ . You should learn to be nicer to people, with that attitude you’ll never get anyone other than Yamaguchi here to be your friend. And you’ll never get a girlfriend,” you shrugged and faced back towards the front. . 

Yamaguchi laughed at your statement. 

“Shut up Yamaguchi.” 

“Sorry, Tsukki.” 

The rest of the walk to the club room was mostly silent, but as you were about to ascend the staircase Tsukishima spoke up. 

“ **_Nowhere Man._ ** That’s what I was listening to.” 

You nodded and could hear the lyrics to the song in your head. 

**He's a real nowhere man**

**Sitting in his nowhere land**

**Making all his nowhere plans for nobody**

You smiled at Tsukishima. “You have a pretty good taste in music, Tsukishima.” 

As the three of you approached the club room, you could already hear some type of chaos coming from inside. 

“GIVE ME BACK MY PANTS!” 

Someone yelled this, before a boy with spiky hair ran out of the room with a pair of track pants in hand. You stepped to the side to avoid him running into you. He was laughing like a crazy person. 

Another boy, this one with a shaved head, stuck his head out of the door. “NOYA BRING ME BACK MY PANTS.” 

So this was the boys volleyball team. You and Yamaguchi laughed at the boy standing in the doorway with only his boxer shorts on. 

“Tanaka-senpai, this is (L/N) (Y/N), she’s in the same class as Tsukki and I,” Yamaguchi introduced you. You smiled at Tanaka and his face flushed red as he realized he was just in his boxers. He slammed the door shut. 

“YAMAGUCHI YOU CAN’T GO BRINGING CUTE GIRLS AROUND HERE WHILE WE’RE CHANGING,” Tanaka yelled through the closed door. 

You laughed and leaned against the balcony railing. 

“Sorry, Tanaka-senpai. I wanted her to meet the team,” Yamaguchi smiled and Tsukishima ignored the both of you. He opened the club room to get ready for practice. 

“Wait out here, (Y/N). We have to get ready for practice then we can show you the gym and properly introduce you to the team,” Yamaguchi said before following Tsukishima into the room. You smiled and nodded, leaning over the railing and looking out at the school. 

After thirty seconds, the short boy with spiky hair came running back up the stairs with the track pants in hand. He stopped when he saw you. 

“Hi! I’m Nishinoya Yuu! What are you doing outside of the volleyball club room?” Nishinoya asked, his head tilted to the side like a puppy. 

“I’m waiting for Tsukishima and Yamaguchi. I’m in the same class as them and they invited me to see where you guys practice,” you smiled at Nishinoya. 

Nishinoya threw open the door to the club room. “TSUKISHIMA. WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL US YOU WERE FRIENDS WITH SUCH A CUTE GIRL?” 

Your jaw dropped, and you could feel your cheeks heating up. 

“I’m not friends with that runt,” was Tsukishima’s blunt reply. 

You sighed, “Tsukki there’s no need to lie to your teammates. You can tell them how much you love me,” you laughed at the glare he shot your way. The two team members you had been introduced to laughed and pat Tsukki on the back. 

“She’s right, Tsukishima, you can be honest with your senpais!” Tanaka declared. 

Nishinoya nodded in agreement. “A good senpai will never make fun of your feelings!” 

You laughed at Tanaka and Nishinoya, your mind so preoccupied with those two, you didn’t notice the trio of boys that came up behind you. 

“Excuse me,” the tallest one said, as you were standing in the way of the door. You turned around, still smiling. 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” you stepped out of the way to let the boys in. 

The tall one who spoke had his mouth hanging open. “Suga, she didn’t cower when she saw me,” he stated. You cocked your head to the side. 

“Why would I be scared of you? I don’t even know you! I’m (L/N) (Y/N). I’m in the same class as Tsukki and Yamaguchi,” you stuck your hand out, wanting to have a proper introduction with the obviously older boys. 

The boy with silver hair smiled at you. “It’s nice to meet you (L/N)-san. I’m Sugawara Koushi, but please call me Suga,” he shook your outstretched hand. 

You looked over at the boy standing to the left of Suga. “I’m Sawamura Daichi, but everyone calls me Daichi. It’s nice to have you here,” Daichi shook your hand after Suga. His grip was firm and calloused, probably from playing volleyball for so long. 

“I’m Azumane Asahi, you can call me Azumane or Asahi, I don’t mind,” Asahi offered you a sheepish smile and shook your hand. His handshake was gentle, as if he thought he was going to break you. 

“It’s nice to meet all of you! I actually prefer to go by my first name, so just call me (Y/N),” you bow your head slightly, for respect of your upperclassmen. 

All three of them smile at you and enter the club room. 

“Tsukishima, I didn’t know you had any friends other than Yamaguchi,” Suga said teasingly. 

“That runt isn’t my friend,” Tsukishima finished getting ready and grabbed his things before heading out of the club room. 

“Tsukki what did I just say about hiding your feelings about me, I know you love me,” you sighed sarcastically and waved to the other volleyball club team members, going to follow Tsukki to the gym. 

“For a runt, you’re a really big pain,” he huffed as you walked alongside him. 

“Are you still mad at me? I already said I’m sorry for taking your headphones. Is there anything else I can do so you’re not upset with me? I’ll buy you something from the convenience store? Or… I can bake you something! I like to think I’m an excellent baker!” You smiled up at Tsukki. 

“Hmm...those are both good offers. Do you know how to bake a shortcake?” 

“I do! My mom and I used to make this really good strawberry shortcake with homemade whipped cream. Why? Do you want me to make you some?” You guys stopped walking and were standing outside the doors to the gym. 

“Yes,” he looked down at you. His face looked uninterested in what you had to say, but his golden eyes had a small glimmer in them. 

“Okay! I’ll make you the best shortcake. BUT! A shortcake is more time consuming and expensive than just getting you a pork bun from Sakanoshita Market, so I get to come to your practice match in exchange for a shortcake!” 

“No, you runt. The shortcake is to make up for stealing my headphones, you don’t get anything out of this,” Tsukki smirked down at you. Out of the corner of your eye you saw Yamaguchi and the rest of the team walking towards the gym. 

“Yamaguchi! Did you hear that? Tsukki invited me to come watch your practice match!” You glanced over at Tsukki and the look on his face was priceless. You smiled at him and gave him a pat on the back. “I’ll make sure your shortcake is extra delicious.” 


	5. Something

After having told the entire team that Tsukki invited you to the practice match, Daichi, the captain, asked you to hang around practice for a couple of minutes to meet the rest of the team. Somehow, you thought they couldn’t get any weirder than they already were. But that’s when you met Kageyama and Hinata. 

You were in the midst of introducing yourself to the other second years, Ennoshita, Narita, and Kinoshita. They seemed the most normal out of the entire team. But as you shook Narita’s hand, this orange-haired bullet broke the handshake by running right between you and Narita. 

You watched a taller, black-haired boy follow him. “BOKE HINATA!” 

“Wahoo!” The shorter one, Hinata, yelled as he jumped into the gym. “That’s 21 wins for me and 20 wins for you!” He celebrated, looking down at the black-haired boy from the steps of the gym. 

“Hm, whatever,” the taller one huffed, getting ready to walk into the gym. 

“Hinata, Kageyama, come here a second,” Daichi called over the two boys. “This is (Y/N), she’ll be coming to cheer us on at the Nekoma match.”

“I’m Hinata Shoyo!” He bounced in front of you and you shook his extended hand. 

“Kageyama Tobio,” the other one said. You smiled kindly and extended your hand to him, which he hesitantly shook. Like Daichi, his grip was firm and calloused, but his skin was extremely soft. 

You smiled at the two boys. “Nice to meet you, I’m excited to see you play!” 

You looked at the team around you. Yamaguchi was right, you did like them all. You could tell how passionate each and every one of them was about volleyball. The entire team was milling around you, all except Tsukishima, who at some point during introductions had walked into the gym, not caring to stick around. 

“I should get going now, it was really nice to meet you all. I’m excited to cheer for you guys against Nekoma!” You offered everyone a smile and bowed your head. 

“You’re not gonna stay and watch us practice?” Hinata asked, his head tilted to the side. 

“No I don’t think so, I want to be surprised when I see you guys play for the first time!” You laughed at the idea a little. “I’m gonna make sure to study up on volleyball so I know what’s happening in the match too!” 

“OOH okay! I’m excited for you to see me score all the points!” Hinata exclaimed before running into the gym. You laughed at his excitable personality. The boys on the team bid you farewell, but before you left, Yamaguchi stopped in front of you. 

“I know Tsukki didn’t actually invite you, but I’m excited for you to come,” he smiled. 

“How did you know?” 

“The look of pure rage on his face when you said he had invited you,” Yamaguchi laughed slightly. He reached into the pocket of his Karasuno Volleyball Club track jacket and handed you a folded note on his yellow stationery. “Here’s my phone number and Tsukki’s phone number. Text me later and I’ll send you all the details of the match,” Yamaguchi smiled. 

“Thanks, Yamaguchi. You’re a good friend,” you returned his smile. 

“Well, I better be going inside. Practice is about to start.” 

“Of course! Work hard for me!” You waved as he walked inside. Before walking away, you stuck your head in the gym. “Bye Tsukki! See you at the practice match!” You smiled at him, but he glared back at you. “Don’t call me that,” was all he said before returning to helping set the gym up. You huffed and walked away, deciding not to make him anymore upset. 

As you walked away, you removed your headphones from your bag and plugged them into your phone. You looked at your playlist, trying to decide which song to put on. You clicked on the song _**We’re Gonna Be Friends**_ by The White Stripes. 

**Back to school, ring the bell**

**Brand new shoes, walking blues**

**Climb the fence, books and pens**

**I can tell that we are going to be friends**

____________________________________

The day before the match against Nekoma, you were at the market, picking up ingredients to make the strawberry shortcake for Tsukki. You were standing amongst the fresh fruit, deep in thought. 

“Hmm… only strawberries? Or lots of different berries?” You glanced at the racks of different fresh fruits. It was the evening, so you thought that Tsukki was probably done with training for the day. You pulled out your phone and clicked on his contact, hoping he would pick up. You hadn’t called or texted him yet, so you weren’t sure if he would answer the call. 

It rang four times, but as you were getting ready to hang up Tsukki finally picked up. 

“Who is this?” His tone was harsh. 

You scoffed. “What a way to greet a lady.” 

“(Y/N)? Why are you calling me? How did you get my number?” Tsukki’s voice was softer, but still cold as ice. 

“Well, I got it from Yamaguchi. And I’m calling to ask if you want only strawberries on your shortcake, or if you want strawberries and other berries.” 

“Hmm…” He thought about it for a moment. “Just strawberry is fine. I like it classic.” 

“Makes sense,” you picked up a box of strawberries and placed them in your shopping basket. “How’s training going?” You asked Tsukki, not wanting to hang up yet. 

“Why do you wanna know, runt?” 

“Wow, I can’t even be nice to my friends without being questioned. I’m just genuinely curious. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to though,” you shrugged your shoulders, even though Tsukki couldn’t see you. 

“Training is hard. I don’t know how some of these guys have endless stamina. By lunch every day I’m ready to go back to sleep.” 

Your eyes widened. You didn’t expect him to answer your question, especially when you told him he didn’t have to. “Let me guess, you’re talking about Hinata and Kageyama? I only met them for a couple of seconds but the fact that they raced to the gym says a lot,” you laughed at the memory. 

“Yeah, they just _keep going_. I swear they’re little monsters or something,” Tsukki gave out an exhausted sigh. You laughed, picturing Hinata and Kageyama with fangs and claws. 

“Well, it sounds like overall, the camp is going well. I’m gonna bring your cake to the match tomorrow, so make sure you win!” You laughed slightly. “Oh also, can you do me a favor?” You asked him. 

“A favor? Why would I do you a favor?” 

“Because you love me Tsukki,” you say in a sing-song voice. 

“I’m hanging up.” 

“NO! I just wanted you to ask what baked sweets the team likes. I thought I could bring them something for after the match, since I’m bringing you cake,” you sighed. Talking to Tsukki could be exhausting. 

“Hmm… Okay, I’ll ask them. Give me a second.” You heard a muffled sound, as if he put his phone against his chest. 

You wandered through the shop, picking up other ingredients for the shortcake, waiting for Tsukki to respond. 

“Do you know how to make Nama Chocolate?” 

“I mean yeah, that’s not a baked good, but I can definitely make it if that’s what the team wants!” You smiled and began to search for the ingredients. 

“It’s the only thing everyone can agree on, so I think that’ll be fine,” Tsukki said. 

“Okay! I’ll prepare everything tonight! I should get going, it’s already getting late and I have a couple hours of baking to look forward to! Bye, Tsukki.”

“Don’t call me that, runt. Bye,” he hung up first. 

You put your phone away and took your basket to the counter to check out. You paid for the ingredients and placed them in your reusable tote bags, leaving the market, and heading home. 

On the walk back to your house, you thought about Tsukki. You didn’t mean to, but your mind wandered from baking shortcake to the guy who would be eating said shortcake. You thought about how hard it seemed to be to please Tsukishima. 

“Hopefully he likes the cake,” you said out loud and sighed. 

_________________________________

The next morning, you were up and out of the house with the sweets by 8:15. Before leaving your house, you had carefully wrapped the nama chocolate and placed them in a bento box. As for the cake you were bringing Tsukki, it was placed in a reusable tupperware, specifically for cakes. Due to both sweets needing to be somewhat chilled, you tucked them in a cooler bag that you had slung over your shoulder. 

The morning air was still chilly, so you were wearing light washed denim jeans and a gray knit jumper. Your (H/C) hair was down, and you had two berets in to keep loose strands of hair out of your face. 

Yamaguchi told you to be at the Karasuno Sports Park at 9:00. That was about a forty-minute walk from your house, so you had on a pair of comfortable sneakers. You put your headphones on and got ready for the trek to the sports complex. You shuffled your favorite playlist and slung the cooler bag over your shoulder. 

_**Something**_ by the Beatles rings through your headphones. 

**Something in the way she moves**

**Attracts me like no other lover**

**Something in the way she woos me**

_______________________________________

You arrived at the Karasuno Sports Park right at 9:00. Yamaguchi told you what gym they’d be in, so you followed the signs pointing to Gym B. 

You could hear the squeaking of volleyball shoes against the hard wooden floor. You smiled to yourself and followed the signs directing you to the seating area above the court. You didn’t want to interrupt their warmups before the practice match started. 

You wandered into the seating area and sat down in one of the blue plastic chairs that gave you a good view of the entire court. You watched the Karasuno team warm-up, not realizing you were kind of staring at Tsukishima as he warmed up.

You smiled and watched them practicing serves, receives, and spikes. After the warmups were conducted, the teams retreated back to their coaches for quick pep talks. After the Karasuno coach gave them a talk, Daichi stepped in. You could hear him from your spot up in the stands. 

“Let's play our best today! And remember we have someone here to cheer us on!” 

You could feel your cheeks warm up as the entire team turned their heads towards where you were sitting. You gave them a wave and a thumbs up. 

“Good luck today!” You yelled, from up in the stands. You smiled, and the entire team smiled back. All except for Tsukki, who had that same expressionless look on his face. “Tsukki! Good luck!” You flashed him peace signs. His eyes widened at you giving him a separate ‘good luck’ from the rest of the team. You saw him nod his head and turn away from you, going to get a drink from his water bottle. 

The entire team was buzzing with enthusiasm, you could feel it radiating off of them. You were extremely excited to see the team play. Each member got into position, and you noticed that Tsukki was a starting player. You smiled, sitting on the edge of your seat in anticipation, waiting for the game to begin. 

The captains chose who would receive first and who would serve first. They returned to their respective spots on the court, and Nekoma’s #5 went to the serving line first. 

You held your breath as the whistle blew, signifying the start of the first set. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAHH! over 100 hits!! thank you all so much! i'm so excited to keep writing this story!!


	6. Ways to Go

They lost every set to Nekoma. All in all, they played a total of six sets. You were exhausted just from watching them play so hard. 

Even though Nekoma was winning each set, you still cheered for the boys like they were winners. Your throat was beginning to feel sore from all of the yelling you did for the boys. You didn’t figure you’d be cheering for so long, so you neglected to bring a water bottle with you. You never expected Karasuno to be as good as they were. Of course, Nekoma was better, but Nekoma was considered a powerhouse school in Tokyo (according to your research). 

After the sixth set, everyone looked thoroughly exhausted. The coaches called it the last set. You grabbed your sweets cooler and slung it over your shoulder, before walking away from the guest area and down to the court, to go say hi to everyone.

You emerged from the gym doors, and the boys dropped what they’re doing to come say hi. Except for Tsukishima, who would rather keep putting equipment away than come talk to you. 

“Hi everyone! Good games today!” You smiled at everyone and gave a big thumbs up. “You guys are really really good, I’m glad I let myself be surprised by your playing.” 

Everyone smiled back at you. “Thank you for coming, (Y/N). You’re cheering really helped us feel more motivated,” Daichi offered you a kind smile. 

“I’m glad! I have something for all of you guys,” you unzipped the cooler and pulled out your bento of nama chocolate. “Tada!” You opened the bento, offering each of them some chocolate. 

Hinata, Nishinoya, Tanaka, and even Kageyama all lit up at the mention of sweets. Nishinoya and Tanaka jumped towards you, they were ready to tackle you with a hug. But before they could land on you, you ducked. 

“I appreciate you guys, but you’re  _ so _ sweaty right now.” 

The other team members laughed at them and everyone took turns taking some chocolate. 

“(Y/N) thanks for coming! Tsukki would never say this, but I’m sure he was glad you came too,” Yamaguchi told you, taking his share of the chocolate from the bento. 

“I’m not too sure about that, considering he didn’t actually invite me,” you laugh awkwardly. “I did bring him something special though, so hopefully he’ll actually come to talk to me at some point. I  _ know _ I’m more fun than putting away the net equipment.” 

“Speaking of putting away equipment, I should probably go help the others. Thank you for cheering for us today! And thank you for the chocolate,” Yamaguchi smiled before going to help the others in cleaning the gym. 

You smiled and walked over towards the storage closet, hoping to find Tsukishima in there. The storage room only had Tanaka and Nekoma’s #4, crying about...girls? You laughed a little at the sight. 

“Sorry to interrupt, but Tanaka-senpai, have you seen Tsukishima?” You asked him. 

“Not since you came down to give us chocolate,” Tanaka cleared himself up enough to coherently speak to you. “Maybe he’s filling his water bottle outside,” he suggested. 

“Hmm, okay, I’ll go check. Thanks, Tanaka-senpai,” you waved to Tanaka and the mohawk-haired boy from Nekoma. As you left the storage room, the cries about girls got even louder, making you laugh. 

You walked to the doors of the gym that led outside. You found Tsukki alone, leaning against the wall, drinking his water bottle. You almost did a double-take, to make sure it was him. You don’t know why, but your mind was screaming about how good he looked in his #11 jersey. You shook the thoughts away, your cheeks warming up at them. 

“Hey, Tsukki, I h-have your cake,” in the middle of speaking, your voice cracked from cheering during every match. You coughed, but that just made you sound even more hoarse. 

“Woah, you sound horrible. Drink some water,” Tsukki replied. 

“I forgot to bring a bottle with me, I didn’t expect to cheer so much. I’ll buy one from the convenience store on my way home,” you waved him off, your voice sounding extremely rough. 

“Whatever, runt. But if you want some of my water, you can have it,” he shoved his bottle towards you, not looking at you. Your jaw dropped. 

“Wow, Tsukki being nice for once,” you grabbed the bottle and took a nice long sip. Your throat immediately felt some relief. Tsukki huffed at you. “I have your cake by the way,” you handed him his bottle and kneeled down to open your bag. You pulled out the large tupperware with the whole cake and presented it to him. “Tada!” 

Tsukki’s eyes widened. “A whole cake? I thought you were just going to bring me a slice or something,” his voice was cold, but you saw a glimmer of excitement in his eyes. 

“What would I do with the other slices? I can’t eat that much cake, and I figured you could bring it home and savor it,” you shrugged, but you were happy he seemed to enjoy it. 

He huffed, but he wasn’t angry. “Fine, thanks for the cake.” 

“I brought a plate and a fork if you wanted to try it now, but I understand if you wanna wait. I don't know if eating cake is the best right after a bunch of volleyball matches,” you laugh slightly. 

“I think I’ll save it for when I get home, but thanks, runt. I’ll bring the cake tupperware back to you tomorrow at school.” 

You sighed, thinking of school tomorrow. “This holiday break was so peaceful, I don’t wanna go back.” 

“Maybe peaceful for you, but I haven’t had a break,” Tsukki sighed as well. “But at least I have something to look forward to tonight,” he glanced down at the cake he was holding. You smiled at him. 

“Well, I’m glad you’re excited about the cake! It’s a special occasion if I make strawberry shortcake, so I hope you enjoy it. Make sure you tell me how you like it when you eat some, okay?” 

“Yeah, I’ll text you, runt,” you couldn’t tell, but it looked like Tsukki offered you a small smile. 

“I’m really glad I got to see you guys play today, I can’t wait to cheer you on at your next competition. Which I’m definitely coming to, no matter what you say. I wanna see you guys win!” You smiled at Tsukki. “But I have to go soon. I have a forty-minute walk home, and I’m already later than I told my dad I would be,” you laughed slightly. 

“You didn’t have to stay the whole time if you were gonna be late,” Tsukki punched your shoulder. 

“You don’t need to HIT me, Tsukki,” you whined, rubbing your shoulder dramatically. 

“Go home, runt.” 

“Fine,” you sighed. “But let me say bye to the team first,” you turned around and skipped back into the gym. 

From the doorway you were standing in, you yelled your goodbyes to the Karasuno team. The boys called their goodbyes back, except Hinata, who jumped up and down in front of you ecstatically. His enthusiasm was contagious. He made you think your walk home would be fun and full of surprises. 

It wasn’t, but he put you in a good mood. 

You waved to all the boys and bowed toward the coaches of the team. You said your final goodbyes to Tsukki and you were on your way home. Your cooler bag was significantly lighter now compared to on the way to the gym. 

You stopped at the first convenience store you saw, buying a water bottle and a meat bun to hold you over until you could make dinner at home. You left the convenience store, munching on your meat bun and thinking about Tsukki and the cake. You put your headphones on and picked a playlist to listen to on the walk. You shuffled the mix and  **_Ways to Go_ ** by Grouplove came on. 

**I didn't ask for this**

**You give me heart attack**

**I didn't want to care**

**And then I saw you there**

___________________________________

Tsukishima sat on the bus back to Karasuno with his headphones on. He wasn’t paying attention to the song playing. His eyes were focused on the blurred scenery outside of the bus, while his mind was occupied with thoughts of you. It started with an innocent thought; how excited he was to eat your cake. But somehow that spiraled into how his stomach had fluttered when you cheered for him at the game. The scowl on his face deepened as he thought about it. 

_ It was just game jitters, heightened by spectators,  _ was his excuse. 

But could that excuse him from thinking about how nice you looked out of your school uniform? 

Tsukishima sighed and closed his eyes, resting his head on the windowpane. The cake you had given him was resting carefully in his lap. Hinata and Nishinoya had both whined when they saw he had gotten a full cake from you. When asked why he got a full cake, his response was; 

“It’s nothing special. That runt stole my headphones, this is her making up for it.” 

He didn’t admit to his team that he did feel special, getting this treatment from you. He didn’t know why he felt that way anyways, so there was no reason to talk about it. Tsukishima wasn’t very good at sorting or dealing with his feelings, his usual strategy was to tuck them away and focus on other things. 

Upon arriving back at the school, he packed away his things, but held onto your cake with extreme caution. After remarks from Coach Ukai and Takeda-sensei, Tsukishima and the rest of the team were released with orders to eat a good meal and get a good night’s rest. 

Tsukishima and Yamaguchi began walking together towards their homes. They lived only a couple of streets away from one another. 

They walked until they were due to go their own ways. Yamaguchi said bye to Tsukishima, who nodded in return. 

____________________________________

After your walk home, you were sitting at the desk in your room. You were reading the newest volume of your favorite manga while slowly spinning in your desk chair. Occasionally, you’d stop your spinning to take a bite from the bowl of rice on your desk. 

Every time you stopped to take a bite, you’d check your phone to see if Tsukishima had tried your cake yet. 

It was starting to get late so you figured he either forgot to text you, or he didn’t enjoy the cake. 

You were getting worried that it was the latter. After checking your phone for the hundredth time since getting home, you sighed and went back to reading your manga. 

After ten more minutes of eating rice and reading manga, you shut the volume and laid down on your bed. You put your hands under your head and stared up at the ceiling. There were little plastic glow in the dark stars stuck to your ceiling from when you were young. They didn’t glow anymore, but you didn’t have the heart to remove them. They were like artefacts from a different era of your life. 

You closed your eyes and sighed, thinking of old memories. 

That’s when your phone finally buzzed. 

Your eyes flew open and you sat up so quickly to check your phone. There on the lock screen was a notification from Tsukki. 

**New Message**

**_From_ ** _ : tsukki _

your cake was really good

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHH! 20+ kudos and over 170 hits!!! thank you all so much for the support! i'm so excited to keep putting out chapters for all of you!


	7. If I Ever Feel Better

You sat on your bed, staring at your phone in disbelief. 

Mr. I’m-so-hard-to-please, liked your cake. You felt your cheeks warming up as you typed out your reply to him. 

**_To:_ ** _ tsukki  _

_ i’m glad you like it! i’ll have to make it more frequently so i can stay on your good side! _

You pressed send and felt a weight being lifted off your chest. You didn’t realize you were that stressed about whether or not Tsukki had liked your cake. You stared at your phone and waited for his response. After a couple of minutes passed, you figured he wasn’t a very good texter and began to give up. You set your phone down and took your empty bowl downstairs to the kitchen. 

Sitting on the counter was the note you found upon your arrival home;

_ (Y/N), business calls. I had to go to Tokyo ASAP. Be home in a couple of days. - Dad _

You sighed looking at it, before crumpling up the paper and tossing it in the trash bin. Your dad was usually away for business. But due to today being a holiday, you thought he’d be home for dinner. You had even prepared to make tonkotsu ramen for the both of you. But business called once again and he couldn’t help but pick up. You didn’t want to put the effort into making ramen for one, so you had opted for rice with sauteed vegetables. 

The silence in the house was deafening as you stood in the kitchen, washing the dishes and putting them away. You turned on the kitchen radio and listened to  **_If I Ever Feel Better_ ** by Phoenix. 

**A thing I don't try to deny**

**I'd better learn to accept that**

**There are things in my life that I can't control**

You laugh slightly at the lyrics you hear. “How fitting,” you mumble to yourself. Your dad had always put his first priority as business. And that caused a strain on your relationship, especially after your mom left. 

After finishing your evening chores in the kitchen, you turned the lights out and returned to your bedroom upstairs. It was nearly midnight now, and you were ready for the day to be over. School could be exhausting, but it provided you a daily routine that felt comforting. 

You flopped onto your bed and picked your phone up. You had two new messages from Tsukki. 

**New Message**

**_From:_ ** _ tsukki  _

_ if you keep making me cake maybe i’ll consider you my friend, runt _

**New Message**

**_From:_ ** _ tsukki  _

_ where did you go? i was just kidding, you’re already my friend. runt. _

Your cheeks warmed up at his text. There was a ten-minute time gap between the messages, so he must have thought you were ignoring him because of his first message. You smiled down at your phone and typed a response. 

**_To:_ ** _ tsukki  _

_ ahh! sorry tsukki, i was doing the dishes. i know i’m your friend! you love me duh <3 _

_ ___________________________ _

Tsukishima’s cheeks turned red from your message. 

He was lying on his stomach in his bed after completing his homework for when he received that message from you. After you hadn’t replied, he figured he pissed you off or you had gone to sleep. 

Tsukishima read your message multiple times before deciding on a fitting reply. 

**_To:_ ** _ (y/n)  _

_ sorry but i don’t love runts (also don’t call me tsukki)  _

He pressed send on the message and flipped onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. He thought back on your strawberry shortcake. When he first opened the tupperware, he was blown away by how good the cake looked, even though his face didn’t show it. 

The cake was covered in sweet vanilla whipped cream, and on the top of the cake, in a strawberry sauce, you had made a little cat face, using two strawberries as cat ears. He made sure to take a picture before cutting into it. The cake tasted even better than it had looked. The first message Tsukishima sent you could never fully convey how good the shortcake had been. 

He scrolled through the playlists looking for the one that helped him fall asleep. Sleeping in silence had never been easy for Tsukishima, so he had curated a playlist of songs that always helped him fall asleep. He pressed shuffle on the mix before shutting off his phone and plugging it in to charge overnight. He got out of bed to turn his lights off while  **_And I Love Her_ ** by the Beatles rang out. 

This song did not help Tsukishima sleep at all. 

He thought about you. He thought about how you told him the Beatles were your favorite band. He thought about how you often wore your hair tied back at school, but when you came to watch the game, it was down and loose. He thought about how you made sure to cheer specifically for him during the Nekoma match. 

He didn’t mean to think of you. 

_ It’s because of the song, _ was his excuse. 

**Bright are the stars that shine**

**Dark is the sky**

**I know this love of mine**

**Will never die**

___________________________

The next day at school, you had your eyes closed and your head resting in your hands as you waited for the day to begin. Tsukki and Yamaguchi were yet to arrive. 

You had seen them both yesterday, but you missed them during Golden Week. You had gotten used to them in your everyday life; your easy conversations with Yamaguchi, your note passing with Tsukki. It had all become part of your routine. 

Your eyes were still closed when you felt someone flick your forehead. 

“Hey! I’m trying to sleep here,” you snapped, opening your eyes to meet Tsukki’s.

“Your forehead just looked so flickable,” he shrugged and sat down next to you. 

“Good morning Yamaguchi, my real friend, who doesn’t flick me when I’m all peaceful,” you smiled at Yamaguchi. 

“Morning (Y/N). Thanks again for coming to our match yesterday, it was really fun having you cheer us on,” Yamaguchi smiled back at you. 

“Of course! When’s your first competition coming up? I wanna be there to cheer you guys on!” 

“The first day of the Interhigh Preliminaries is on June 2nd! We should be getting our matchup for the first round soon,” Yamaguchi stated. You thought Tsukki would glare at Yamaguchi for telling you the details of the match, but he didn’t. 

You took out your notepad and a pencil, writing down the information. “Where is it being held?” You asked Yamaguchi. 

“Sendai City Gymnasium. I know that’s a little far from here, so if you can’t come I think everyone will understand,” Yamaguchi laughs awkwardly. 

“I’ll walk all the way there if I have to! I’ll make sure to be there!” You declared, wanting to go see your friends play and win an official match. 

“Don’t walk, you’ll hurt yourself, runt,” Tsukki finally decided to speak up. 

“I’m not actually going to walk, I’ll get a train ticket, silly. And I have a friend who lives in Sendai, so maybe I can stay with her overnight instead of having to take the train again for the second day of the tournament,” you began making travel plans in your head. 

“You don’t know if we’ll make it to the second day of the tournament, runt.” 

“Of course you will! For all I know you guys are gonna win the whole thing,” you smiled at Tsukki. 

“Whatever,” Tsukki sighed. 

“Anyways, I’ll make sure to be there, Yamaguchi,” you smiled at Yamaguchi. 

“Good! I should get ready for class, talk again during break?” 

“Of course! Talk later, Yamaguchi!” You waved at him as he sat down on the opposite side of the room. “Yanno, you could try to at least fake being excited that I’m coming to your match. And if you really don’t want me to come, I won’t. I just really like watching you and everyone else play,” you sighed. 

“You can come if you want, I don’t mind. Runt,” Tsukishima wasn’t looking at you, instead, his eyes were focused on the blackboard at the front of the room. 

You smiled at him. “Good. Because it’s fun watching you play.”

___________________________

At the end of the day, you walked Tsukki and Yamaguchi to the club room. You were hoping this would become an everything day. You loved getting to walk with them and say hi to the team before going home. 

When you all got to the club room, you said hello to Hinata, who was his normal, bouncy self. When he finally settled down in front of you, you ruffled his bright orange hair. 

Tanaka and Nishinoya both almost tackled you when they saw you, wanting to properly thank you for the chocolate, since they got shut down yesterday. You let them give you a giant bear hug, your cheeks warming up slightly. 

Before you knew it, the boys were being ushered to practice and you were alone again. 

You sighed and walked out of school, your mind wandering to Tsukki and the upcoming interhigh matches. You hoped that Karasuno would come out on top, you could see just how hard everyone worked and they all deserved to be rewarded for that. 

You pulled out your phone and headphones, pressed a random playlist, and half-heartedly listened to what played. 

You were worried about Karasuno, but simultaneously optimistic that everything would be okay. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my goodness! 250 hits??? 34 kudos?? thank you guys so much! i love every single reader! i'm sorry today's chapter isn't the best, next chapter we'll get into the interhigh arc and all these is to come of it! updates might become slower, because i'm about to start school again and i'm a senior in high school so that means college apps :0   
> but thank you all again, i'm so excited that you like the story i'm telling!


	8. I'm Looking Through You

The weeks before interhigh were both fun and extremely stressful. You found yourself walking with Tsukki and Yamaguchi to practice every single day, and on multiple occasions you stuck around to help out or watch them practice. You could tell how excited everyone was for the upcoming tournament, but under that excitement was sheer anxiety. Everyone was showing it, except for Tsukki. His demeanor was always calm and cold, no matter the circumstances. 

One day, about a week before the tournament, you had hung around practice and you were now keeping score for a practice game between the boys team and the Karasuno Neighborhood Volleyball Association. You took over for Shimizu-san when she seemed to be struggling with taking notes and keeping score. 

You were standing behind the scoreboard, watching the game with interest. Whenever you watched practice, your eyes lingered on whatever Tsukki was doing. It was unintentional, but he always seemed so enraptured by the game, you couldn’t help but watch him. Even if Tsukki tried to make it seem like he didn’t care about the club, there was something that made him want to play. 

The practice game was a full 3-set match, the boys team winning 26-24 in the final set. Everyone looked thoroughly worn out, so you helped Shimizu-san with gathering and filling water bottles. 

You walked over to Tsukki, handing him a water bottle and a towel. 

“Good game, Tsukki,” you smiled, deciding to hang around him while he cooled down. 

“Thanks, runt,” he took a long sip from his water bottle and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the towel before sitting on the ground against the wall. 

“Are you nervous for the tournament coming up? There’s only a week left right?” 

“Yeah, but I’m not nervous. This is just a club,” he shrugged and drank more water. He had said that to you before. 

_Just a club._

You stayed quiet and looked at him for a moment. “Hm, okay. I’m nervous for you guys and I’m not even a part of the team,” you laughed slightly. “Seeing all of you guys work so hard makes me want to see you guys win even more.” You sat down on the ground beside him. You didn’t want to admit it, but being next to Tsukki was always comforting for you. Even if he sometimes picked on you, you knew that’s how he was with his friends. 

“All we can do is prepare for the match ahead of us as best we can,” his eyes were closed and he rested his head against the wall. The moment looked picturesque. You smiled softly to yourself. 

“Yeah, but make sure you’re practicing extra hard for me, okay?” You nudged his shoulder before standing up. “I want to be able to say my seatmate is going to the Interhigh tournament.”

“Yeah, whatever, runt.” 

“Now come on, get up. We gotta clean before we can go home,” you stuck your hand out in front of Tsukki, offering to help him stand up. Like the jerk he is, he ignored your hand and stood up on his own. 

“You don’t have to stay, you know. No one expects you to help us clean the gym,” Tsukki said, looking down at you. 

“Well I like to help. Plus, when I stay to clean up I can walk home with you and Yamaguchi instead of by myself. It’s scary walking by myself in the dark” you shuddered, walking over to the storage cabinet to get the mop. 

“If you’re scared of walking home in the dark, why stay at our practices at all?” 

“I don’t know. I really like to watch you play,” after a couple of seconds you realized what you said. “A-and all of the team o-of course,” your cheeks heated up. 

Tsukki gave one of his cold laughs. “Mhm, the _whole_ team. Let’s just pretend you don’t stare at me during the matches.” 

Your jaw dropped. Your face was on fire now. You weren’t looking at Tsukki, but if you had, you would’ve seen the pink color dusting his cheeks. You regained your composure. “You’re the tallest one out there, it's hard not to look at you, you beanpole. Now shut up and get cleaning,” you whacked him with the mop in your hands. 

“No need to get aggressive, runt,” he said, grabbing the ball cart. 

You sighed and walked back out to the gym, where the others were disassembling the net. 

Before you knew it, the gym was properly cleaned and the boys were released from practice. You grabbed your bag from where it lay on the floor and ran over to join Tsukki and Yamaguchi on their walk home. 

After a practice about two weeks ago, you learned that you lived on the same street as Tsukki. He lived about seven houses up the street from you. 

The street was illuminated by the moonlight as you walked along with Tsukki and Yamaguchi. 

Earlier than normal, Yamaguchi steered off from you and Tsukki, saying he had some errands to run before he could go home. You bid him farewell and it was just you and Tsukki for the remainder of the walk. 

“Tsukki?” 

He hummed in response. 

“Why do you play volleyball?” 

Tsukki glanced down at you, but your eyes were trained on the road ahead. “I don’t know,” he shrugged and continued to walk beside you. He had his reasons and he didn’t need to explain them. 

“Hm, okay,” you weren’t satisfied with his answer. If Tsukki didn’t have a reason, he wouldn’t play. “Then, why did you start volleyball?” 

“I was tall in elementary school. I needed a club activity and I didn’t like basketball,” he shrugged again, his voice becoming colder each time he spoke. 

“But if you only joined because of that, what makes you keep playing?” Your questions were innocent, with no ill intentions. But they got under Tsukki’s skin. Any bit of his walls you had chipped away were quickly reforming. 

“It doesn’t matter,” he snapped. The iciness in his voice was evident. You pressed on a nerve that you didn’t know was there. 

“Okay, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you upset, you always say that volleyball is ‘just a club,’ and I wanted to know why you continued to play if that’s what you thought.” 

“Well it is just a club. There’s nothing more to it. It’s a high school club.”

Each of his words felt like an assault against you. “Okay, I’m sorry,” was all you had the energy to say. You were still ten minutes from your house and you didn’t want to anger him any further. You didn’t know what exactly had set him off, but you wanted to make sure not to press anymore of his buttons accidentally. 

You sighed into the night. The evening air was still chilly, even though it was almost June now. Tsukki was protected from this chill in his track jacket but your bare arms were susceptible to the bite of the cool air. Last week, after a long practice, when you were walking with Tsukki and Yamaguchi, the air was chilly like this. Without saying anything, Tsukki had thrown his jacket over your head, noticing you were cold. 

He didn’t do that tonight. 

As you approached your house, after ten, long and awkward minutes, you stopped. Tsukki stopped with you. 

“I’m sorry that I said something to upset you,” you didn’t look him in the eyes, opting to stare at the ground. 

“Whatever, runt,” his voice was laced with venom. You don’t know why, but you felt your eyes brim with tears. 

_____________________________

Tsukishima heard you sniffle as he walked away. His eyes were trained on the ground as he approached his home. 

He didn’t mean to make you cry. He didn’t mean to get so upset. 

He doesn’t open up to people, that’s how it’s been since before junior high. 

He doesn’t really know why he plays volleyball. He could’ve quit after what happened, but he continued to play. Why did he play volleyball? 

Tsukishima sighed when he entered his home. He removed his shoes and immediately went towards his bedroom to drop his things before eating dinner. He dropped his bags on the floor of his room before going back downstairs to eat. 

Tsukishima’s mother had prepared him rice with yakitori skewers. 

He ate in silence, his mother was usually in bed by the time he got home nowadays. 

Tsukishima cleaned his dishes before returning to his room. He pulled his phone out from his bag and checked to see if he had any messages. There was a text waiting from you. 

**New Message**

**_From:_** _(y/n)_

again, i’m really sorry if i upset you. have a picture of a cat to make up for it :) 

There was indeed an attachment of a small kitten with big, sad eyes. Tsukishima gave a small laugh at the picture. 

**New Message**

**_To:_ ** _(y/n)_

it’s okay. i’m sorry i freaked. i don’t like to talk about things like that. thanks for the cat picture

He scrolled up to the top of his message history with you. Ever since he had texted you saying he liked your cake, conversations with you had become more frequent. Pretty much every evening, after practice, whether you’d been there or not, you’d text him, making sure he had eaten a proper meal before anything else. You had also gotten into the habit of making sure he was getting enough rest after he showed up to school one day with bags under his eyes, due to staying up late to finish homework. 

Tsukishima read through all of your messages. You liked to send him pictures. Whether it be of yourself and what you were doing, or random pictures of things you liked. He enjoyed each picture you sent, it was like he was getting a better look at who you were. 

He immediately felt he was being hypocritical. 

He loved when you opened up. He enjoyed knowing things about you. But he refused to open up back to you. His replies to your messages were so empty too. Reading them made his stomach churn. 

_Why can’t I get over this?_

The walls he built up so long ago had never come down. Everytime someone tried to chip at them, he fortified them, making them stronger. Yamaguchi was the only one who had ever been able to get through. But that was only because he’d been there since before the walls were up. 

Tsukishima looked at a picture on his desk. It was of him on a trip his family had taken to Tokyo one summer. He was only nine in the photo. The smile on his face was so wide, his eyes were fully closed. Tsukishima sighed at the photo and returned to looking at his phone. His phone buzzed in his hand and he looked at the notification. 

**New Message**

**_From:_** _(y/n)_

it’s okay! everyone has skeletons in their closet that they’d rather not discuss :) 

Attached to the message was a picture of a skeleton hanging from a coat hanger. Tsukishima couldn’t help it when a small smile crept across his face. 

How were you always so understanding? 

__________________________

You went straight to bed once you had gotten home. You only passed through the kitchen to grab an onigiri before going upstairs. Your face was still wet with tears. 

You sat down on your bed and ate the food in silence. 

_Why does Tsukki have so many walls up?_

Was all you could think, as your tears slowly began to stop. Clearly it had something to do with volleyball. No one tenses up and snaps at something if it isn’t a touchy subject. 

You decided to text him, wanting him to know you had no ill intentions for your questions. You wanted to know Tsukki better, but this was a lot harder than originally anticipated. But you were in too deep to back out now. 

Tsukki had become too much of your regular routine. He provided a warm comfort for you, even if his demeanor was icy cold. Whether it be the little notes you passed him during class. The silly pictures you texted him, only to get short answers back. Or the quiet walks back from volleyball practice. 

You didn’t want these things to go away. 

Your phone buzzed when Tsukki texted you back. He apologized. You smiled softly at your phone and typed your reply, making sure to add something to make it distinctly from you. 

Tsukki was surrounded by huge, fortified walls. All you were equipped with was a small hammer, but you were determined to chip away at them until the whole thing came crashing down around him. 

You opened your favorite playlist on your phone and shuffled the music. Music helped calm your mind down. **_I’m Looking Through You_ ** by the Beatles came on. You laid down on your back, looking up at the plastic stars on your ceiling again. 

You thoroughly understood not wanting to talk about something. Sometimes, you were glad Tsukki didn’t ask you too many questions about yourself, accepting just the information you gave him. 

**I'm looking through you, where did you go**

**I thought I knew you, what did I know**

**You don't look different, but you have changed**

Silent tears rolled down your cheeks, but you didn’t notice. 

Before you realized it, you were asleep, clutching your phone to your chest as the Beatles softly rang out in your bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i can't believe my fic has over 370 hits, i love you guys so much i hope you're all happy with the story ≧◡≦ i might be getting busy with school soon, so i'll try my best to update as frequently as possible, but if i can't, i'll be updating on sundays!  
> i love you all! thank you so much for the kind words on my story!


	9. I'm So Tired

You decided not to go to any more of the boys’ practices before the interhigh tournament. You were worried that your being there would upset or distract Tsukki. You wanted to give him space after he got upset with you. 

You didn’t notice how much this had affected Tsukki. 

Without realizing it, he had been playing better at practice when you were there. He talked more during class breaks when you were there to talk to. Tsukki found himself thinking of you when you weren’t around. He didn’t mean to. It just happened. 

He didn’t know why, but after three days of barely talking to you, he felt himself get mad. He wanted to know you better, he wanted to try to let you know more of him. So why were you avoiding him all of a sudden? 

It was the day before interhigh. You came to school with your usual school bag and an extra bag of treats to give to the boys’ volleyball team. When you entered your class, you didn’t notice that Tsukki was there, alone. Your headphones were blasting some upbeat song that you hummed along to aimlessly. 

Tsukki had a scowl deep-set in his face. Seeing you look so normal after avoiding him all week pissed him off. 

When you finally noticed him, you looked up at him and smiled, your eyes emitting a kind glow from them. 

“Good morning, Tsukki!” You took off your headphones and set your bags down on your desk. You tried not to, but you could feel his glare drilling into the back of your head. 

“Don’t call me that,” his response was short and cold. 

You sighed and turned around to look at him. When he looked at you, your face was filled with distress. The quick change from kind and warm to worried almost made you seem like two people. Tsukki’s own glare softened when he saw how worried you looked. 

“Are you okay?” You asked him in a soft voice, almost a whisper. It was hard to, but you managed to keep eye contact with him. 

“You can’t avoid me all week and come skipping back in here like everything was okay in the first place,” his words were bitter cold. 

“You’re mad at me?” Part of you couldn’t believe what he was telling you. Tsukishima Kei, the guy who was always so indifferent about everything and anything, was upset with you. 

He sighed and broke the eye contact first. He couldn’t look you in the eyes. He was mad. But you looked so hurt. “Why the hell did you avoid me all week?” His voice dropped in volume.

That caught you off guard. “O-oh. I wanted to give you some space. After you got upset about me asking you questions about volleyball, I thought maybe you didn’t want or need me at practice. Plus, I didn’t want to distract you at all before the tournament. I really want you to do well and I just thought I’d make you lose focus,” your gaze didn’t drop from his face. 

“That’s so stupid.” 

You furrowed your eyebrows at him. “Stupid?” You could feel your worry morph into irritation. “Tsukishima I don’t think you understand. When you snap at me because I ask you a random question, it’s exhausting. I feel like I’m walking on eggshells around you half of the time. I thought the best thing to do would be to give you space so that you could calm down and so I could figure out what I did. On top of all that, you have a big tournament tomorrow. I didn’t want to be the distraction that stopped you from doing your best. I’m sorry Tsukishima, but you’re the one being ‘stupid’ right now. Can’t you understand anything from a perspective that isn’t your own?” You didn’t know you had all of this bottled up. Once you started talking, it didn’t stop. 

Tsukki wasn’t expecting that. Your words stung. But you were right. He hadn’t tried to look at this through your point of view. He was only worried about himself and how he felt without you. 

Your eyes were brimming with tears. You didn’t want to cry. You didn’t want him to see you like this. You turned your back to him, rummaging through your extra bag. You pulled out a small, square container. “This is for you. I understand if you don’t want me to go to the tournament tomorrow, but I’m still going. I’m going for Yamaguchi, Hinata, and Kageyama if you don’t want me there,” you carefully set the container in his hands. “I’m sorry I avoided you, but I thought it was for the best. I didn’t want to accidentally upset you or distract you.” 

You picked up your bags and began to pack things away. You didn’t have the energy to stay at school after this interaction. Tsukki didn’t say anything else. You walked over to Yamaguchi’s desk and pulled out a sticky note and placed the bag of sweets on his desk. You left a small note asking him to hand out the goodies to the team for you. You made them melon bread, but tried to make the cuts look like the pattern on a volleyball. 

You left the classroom and Tsukki watched you go. His cheeks were flushed and he felt unsteady. He sat down at his desk and carefully looked at the small package you gave him. Tsukki opened the box and inside was a smaller version of the cake you gave him at the Nekoma match. Next to the cake was an envelope with your neat script on it that read  _ For Tsukki _ with small doodles of the moon and stars on it. A sad smile adorned his face at the thought put into this gift. As people began to file into the classroom, he closed the box and gently placed it in his bag. 

The room felt cold without you sitting next to him. 

As you left the classroom, tears silently rolled down your face. You didn’t mean to yell at Tsukki. But he was being inconsiderate of how you felt or how his actions affected you. You were trying so hard to be his friend and his companion, but sometimes it felt like he didn’t care at all. And maybe he didn’t. Were you just that annoying girl who wouldn’t stop following him around? 

You truly hoped not. 

There were times when it felt like the two of you were becoming closer and your friendship was growing. Whenever you texted him, though his replies were lackluster, he always responded. Or when you ate lunch with him and Yamaguchi and talked about the most random things. You didn’t just want to be the girl that sat next to Tsukki. You wanted to be his friend, someone he could confide in. 

As you left the school, you put your headphones on and pressed on the playlist you listened to when you felt sad or stressed.  **_I’m So Tired_ ** by the Beatles began to play. You sighed as the song rang out and walked towards the park near your home. 

**I'm so tired, I don't know what to do**

**I'm so tired, my mind is set on you**

**I wonder should I call you but I know what you would do**

The park was relatively barren; a moment left in the past. Where there was grass, it was unkempt and too tall, but most of the park was dry patches of earth. The playset was painted red and yellow, the paint chipping away and damaged from the sun. 

Though the park was a sight for sore eyes, it brought back memories from your childhood. Memories of your mom and dad, happy together. Memories of one happy family. 

You walked over to the swingset, sitting down on one of the swings. You took off your bag and placed it on the ground, glancing up at the sky as you let the swing dangle you above the ground. 

Your thoughts morphed from memories of you as a child to Tsukki. You couldn’t help but think about him. What happened to him? Why did he surround himself with impenetrable walls? 

You took out your phone and scrolled through your text conversations with him. You smiled as you looked through what you sent each other. 

Before you realized it, you were typing him a message. 

**New Message**

**_To:_ ** _ tsukki _

hey, come over to my house after practice 

You knew it was the middle of class, so you weren’t expecting a response from him until lunchtime. You put your phone away and sat on the swingset, dangling your legs, while the music rang through your headphones. 

_____________________

During the lunch break, you received a text back from Tsukki, saying he’d come over. You also got a message from Yamaguchi, asking why you weren’t at school. You told him you hadn’t been feeling well and left it at that. 

Tsukki told you in his message that practice was ending early today, due to the tournament being tomorrow, so he’d be over at around 5:30. 

You had spent the entire morning in the park, aimlessly swinging on the swingset. You didn’t think about too much, you just listened to your music and let the melodies consume you. It was when Tsukki texted you that you realized how long you’d been in the park and how hungry you were. You grabbed your bag and took your leave, deciding to stop at the market to pick up lunch and ingredients for your dinner tonight. 

At the market, you picked out a to-go sushi bento for lunch along with the ingredients to make takoyaki for two. It would be right around dinner time when Tsukki came over, so you thought you could cook for the two of you. 

You paid for your items and began the walk home. It was the first day of June, and the midday heat was getting to you. 

When you arrived home, you removed your shoes and walked into the kitchen. You had the house to yourself as your dad was away on business yet again. You put away the ingredients for tonight's dinner and sat down at the table to eat your sushi. You mindlessly scrolled through your phone as you ate, not paying much attention to anything you saw. Your mind was preoccupied with thoughts of tomorrow’s tournament, Tsukki, and your friend from Sendai, who said you could stay over for the tourney. 

You decided to message her. Saito Ichiko was a friend from your childhood. She used to live next door to you before her father’s work relocated them. She was the definition of a childhood best friend. You guys met when you were each only a couple of years old. She moved before middle school started, leaving you to fend for yourself in junior high. However, you wrote each other letters and talked on the phone at least once a month. 

You sent her a message saying you were excited to see her and sent a picture of yourself doing peace signs. 

You got up from the table and put your phone away. You walked upstairs to your bedroom, taking off your school uniform and changing into a comfortable t-shirt with your favorite band on it along with a pair of jeans. You took your hair out of its usual style and let it hang loose around your face. You put on some music and began to tidy up your room, so it wouldn’t be too messy when Tsukki got here. 

___________________

Tsukki felt antsy for the rest of the day at school. He was nervous to see you and he wanted to apologize for how he acted. He missed you at school. He caught himself glancing at your desk more often than he’d like to admit. During a break between classes, he opened the cake box you had given him and removed the neat envelope with his name. 

With extreme caution, he opened it and removed a lavender-colored card. On the cover was a hand-drawn doodle of him. It was a simple chibi drawing, but it made him smile. The amount of thought you put into everything you did made his stomach flutter. 

Tsukki opened the card and the inside was covered in your neat script. 

He read the letter and could feel his face burning, his cheeks and the tips of his ears turning bright red. 

After reading the letter, he got indescribably angry at himself. How could he get so mad at you? This letter just confirmed how much you cared for him and how awfully he had treated you. 

_ I don’t deserve her. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> over FIVE HUNDRED HITS?!?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! IM SO HAPPY!   
> thank you all so much for reading my story! i hope you all enjoy it!


	10. Here, There, and Everywhere

You were standing in your kitchen, blasting modern Japanese rock music. Though you listened to a lot of English rock, Japanese rock was easier to sing along to. Your hair was tied in a loose bun, to prevent it from getting in your face while you were cooking. You had on a white apron over your clothes to make sure your shirt stayed clean. You were so preoccupied watching the takoyaki cook, you didn’t notice the knocking at your front door. 

Tsukki was standing at your door, waiting for you to answer. He could hear the loud music playing and figured you probably couldn’t hear him. He knocked and rang the doorbell again before sighing and sliding open the unlocked door. 

“Pardon the intrusion,” he mumbled, as he slipped off his shoes and set them by yours. Tsukki could smell something good coming from the kitchen. He had never been inside your house so he followed the smell to find you. He stood at the entrance to the kitchen and watched you for a moment. You were singing along to the music and looked so carefree. Tsukki smiled to himself before announcing his arrival with a cough. 

You whipped your head around and saw Tsukki standing at the door to your kitchen. You scrambled for your phone and paused the music, your cheeks heating up at the thought of him possibly hearing you sing along to your music. “Tsukki. Why didn’t you knock like a normal person? You can’t just go barging into a girl’s house,” you fake scolded him. 

“I did knock. Like multiple times. Someone is just too deaf from all of that loud music,” he retaliated. His voice didn’t have its usual edge, it was softer sounding. 

“Oops,” you felt your cheeks get even warmer. “Sorry about that. I get pretty into music while I cook. Here, you can set your bags over here,” you showed him to the hooks on the wall where your school bag was hanging. 

“What are you making?” Again, Tsukki’s voice was soft. Softer than you had heard it before. Maybe he really did feel bad about what happened earlier. 

“Takoyaki! I haven’t made it in a long time, but it should still be good,” you smiled and walked back to your prep area in the kitchen. Tsukki took a seat across from you at the kitchen counter. “I thought you’d be hungry, coming over after practice and tomorrow’s your tournament so I thought I could make something special.” 

“I haven’t had takoyaki since last year’s summer festival. I went with Yamaguchi, well actually it was more like he dragged me along, but the fireworks were nice,” Tsukki held his head in his hands as he watched you work on cooking the takoyaki. You turned around and looked at him strangely. 

“Do you have a fever? Are you feeling okay?” You pressed your hand against his forehead in a joking manner. “The Tsukki  _ I know _ wouldn’t willingly give up any information about himself.” 

He sighed and dropped his gaze down to the counter. “I’m sorry about that, I’ve never been very good at opening up to people. And I’m sorry I snapped at you today. I really was being selfish. You had every right to get upset. I am so so sorry,” he looked back up at you. 

You smiled softly and walked around to the side of the counter where he was sitting. You wrapped your arms around him, giving him a warm hug. He was stunned at your response. After a moment of him not reciprocating the hug, you were getting ready to let go when he wrapped his arms back around you. He smelled like clean linens and the volleyball gym. It was an extremely welcoming feeling. For someone who could be extremely cold, his arms around you felt like being wrapped in a blanket that had just come out of the dryer. 

Tsukki’s cheeks were bright red. He was glad that you couldn’t see his face, which was nestled in your neck. He could smell your sweet shampoo. He took deep breaths, not wanting to forget that smell. You tentatively began to stroke his back, which made every bit of tension within him come undone. He felt like melting under your touch.

“Thank you,” you whispered in his ear. 

You weren’t sure how long the two of you were like that, but the warm moment was broken up by the timer for the takoyaki. You let go and walked to where the takoyaki was cooking and began to put them on a large plate. Your back was to Tsukki, but you could feel him watching you. You grabbed two smaller plates as well as a bowl of takoyaki sauce you had made before Tsukki arrived. You drizzled the sauce over the dish and walked over to your dinner table to set down the plates. You grabbed two pairs of chopsticks and two cups as well, finishing setting up the table. At the perfect timing, your rice cooker beeped, signaling the rice was done as well. As you finished preparing the meal, Tsukki sat down at the table and watched you. 

He thought you looked so content and in your element while you cooked. Like nothing else mattered but how the dish turned out. When everything was ready, you set down a kettle of tea and two bowls of rice next to the takoyaki plate. 

“Lets eat,” you sat down across from him and smiled. 

Tsukki put his hands together. “Thank you for the food,” he said. You followed suit and did the same thing. 

You both began eating quietly. It was a comforting silence. 

“Are you nervous about tomorrow?” You finally asked. 

“No, but also yeah kind of. I’m nervous but I know that it’s just a club, and there’s so many players that are better than me. All I have is my height,” he sighed and took another bite of takoyaki. 

“But volleyball isn’t about individuals, right? It’s about the better  _ team _ . Plus, I’ve seen you play, you’re not bad at all. But if you go into it with the mindset of,  _ I’m not the best so I shouldn’t even try, _ you’re never going to win or get better,” you had been wanting to say this to Tsukki for a while, but you had been too nervous to. However, the Tsukki who came to your house seemed like he’d be ready to listen. 

“I know, but this team is still new. It takes time to fully feel like a single unit. Especially with those crazy idiots who keep doing new things, they exhaust me,” he gave an exasperated sigh. “I guess I am nervous. I hope we do well. It’s just so hard to be hopeful when there are teams like Aoba Johsai and Shiratorizawa in our prefecture.” 

“But you don’t go up against either of them in the first round right? Then don’t focus on them. Pay attention to the opponent at hand, if you don’t, they may be the ones to clip your wings,” you set down your chopsticks and placed your head in your hands as you watched Tsukki. 

“You sound just like our coach,” Tsukki gave a soft laugh as he continued to eat. “Thanks for making this, it’s really good. And thank you for making me a cake again, your shortcake is probably the best one I’ve ever had.” 

You could feel your cheeks heat up at his compliments. You waved your hand, trying to dismiss him. “Stop, it’s not that good,” you laugh slightly. 

“How did you learn to cook like this?” 

The smile dropped off of your face slightly. “Oh, my mom taught me,” your eyes shifted down to the table. Your tone of voice was sad, Tsukki wasn’t sure if he should ask more or let it be. “I have a box full of her recipes. She’s the key to my good cooking,” a smile, albeit a sad one, spread across your lips. 

“Oh, gotcha. Where are your parents by the way? Do they work?” Tsukki asked, hoping this question wouldn’t make you as sad. 

“Yeah, my dad works. He’s usually away on business though so I’m home alone for the most part. I think that’s the other way I got good at cooking, since I cook for myself so frequently. My mom didn’t work when she was still around, so it used to be better,” you spoke softly, memories of you and your mom together flashing through your mind. 

“What happened to her?” Tsukki asked softly. He set his chopsticks down, giving you his full, undivided attention. 

“She died about a year ago from ovarian cancer. She suffered from it for a while, but we thought she was going to beat it. She had been in remission for a year before the cancer came back, but then it all happened so fast. Within two months of the cancer resurfacing, she was gone,” your sad smile was gone, the look replaced with one of pure sadness. You hadn’t talked about your mom with anyone in so long. It almost felt like this knot in your chest was finally unraveling. “She was my favorite person in the entire world, it’s still really hard dealing with her not being here.” 

“I’m really sorry, (Y/N),” Tsukki stood up and walked to your side of the table, similar to how you walked over to him at the counter. He sat down next to you and placed a hand on your shoulder. It was a small action, but coming from Tsukki, it felt full of meaning. You leaned into his touch as you felt tears well in your eyes. It felt nice to talk to someone about this. 

“It’s okay. I just haven’t really talked to anyone about it,” you rested your head on Tsukki’s shoulder. His cheeks turned bright pink but he didn’t stop you. Tentatively, he put his arm around you. 

“I’m a pretty good listener if you ever wanna talk,” he said so quietly, it was barely more than a whisper. 

“Thank you,” you smiled softly. You could get used to this Tsukki. 

You rubbed the tears from your eyes and sat up. The takoyaki dish was empty, so you stood up and began to clear the plates. Tsukki stood up with you and helped clean up the bowls and cups of tea. 

You both worked to clean the kitchen. After you finished, you sighed and took off the apron you were still wearing from cooking and took your hair out of its bun. “If you want, you can hangout a little longer, I don’t mind,” you smiled at Tsukki. 

“I’d like that.” 

____________________________________

Tsukki was currently lying on your bed, staring up at the plastic stars on the ceiling while you sat in your desk chair, watching him. You guys had been talking about small things, favorite colors, childhood memories, what movies you liked. You learned Tsukki’s favorite color was green, he and Yamaguchi had been friends since grade-school, and that he didn’t watch that many movies. You had put on music in the background, one of your calm playlists, just for the ambience. 

Tsukki sat up and looked around your room again, his eyes landing on the clock that was above your door. Without having realized it, you guys had been talking for nearly three hours. It was nearly nine in the evening. His eyes widened as he began to get out of your bed. “Oh my god, I didn’t realize how late it had gotten. I’ve gotta go home.” 

“Oh, okay, let me walk you out,” you smiled and stood up, stretching your arms. Tsukki walked back towards the kitchen where his bag was hanging, you trailing behind him. He grabbed his things and walked with you towards the door.

Tsukki kneeled down and put his shoes on as you stood by his side, watching him. He stood back up and gave you a small smile. “Thank you for inviting me over. And thank you for being my friend,” he spoke very softly. You smiled back and wrapped your arms around him for a goodbye hug. 

“Of course, Tsukki.” 

You watched Tsukki leave, waving to him as he went. After you couldn’t see him anymore, you ran up to your room and scrolled through your music, looking for one very specific song.  **_Here, There, and Everywhere_ ** by the Beatles played through your room. 

**Here, making each day of the year**

**Changing my life with a wave of her hand**

**Nobody can deny that there's something there**

______________________________________

When Tsukki got home, he immediately walked to his room. He set his school bag down on his desk and ruffled through it, looking for the letter you had given him with the strawberry shortcake. He settled into his bed and began to read it again. 

_ Tsukki,  _

_ Thank you for being an awesome person and friend. You put out this cold vibe, but I know you’ve got your reasons. And you don’t have to tell me, not if you’re not ready. But I want to be a person you can rely on and confide in. I won’t stop trying to be your friend! Because you’re just so intriguing! Also we’ve been in the same class for three years and I thought it might be fun to finally get to know you.  _

_ I know you’re going to crush it at the tournament. Whenever I watched you in practice, I got so excited seeing you play. You’re like this cold, mean presence on the court. Getting ready to attack from the shadows of the fancy things Hinata and Kageyama do. I really love watching you play. _

_ I’ll be rooting for YOU extra hard, okay? So do your best for me! If you win both matches tomorrow I’ll give you a coupon for ONE strawberry shortcake, redeemable at any time. So win, okay?  _

_ Anyways, I’m super excited to see you play and I can’t wait to see you guys win. Remember, I’ll be rooting for you.  _

_ Love,  _

_ (Y/N)  _

Tsukki couldn’t help but smile at the card. It wasn’t long, but it was so thoughtful. He read it twice more before opening the bottom drawer of his desk to store it. 

He neatly placed it alongside all of the sticky notes you had passed him during class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I FORGOT TO UPDATE LAST WEEKEND IM SO SORRY! but here is chapter ten! chapter eleven will be coming tomorrow! i hope you all enjoy! thank you all so much for over SEVEN HUNDRED hits!! much love to all of you :))


	11. Adore You

It was finally the first day of the Inter-High Tournament. You woke up with fond memories of the night before when Tsukki had come over. You smiled and glanced out your window at the street painted blue with an early morning glow. You stretched your arms and yawned, not wanting to get out of your comfy bed but knowing you had a train to catch soon. 

You climbed out of bed and dragged yourself to the bathroom to begin getting ready. You went through your usual morning routine but decided to change up your hair for the day. You opted for a half-up-half-down hairstyle with little clips adorning your hair. You took one final glance in the mirror, happy with how you looked.

Though the summer heat was in full force, the evenings and early mornings in Sendai could get chilly, so you opted to wear a pair of high-waisted, blue paperbag shorts with a white t-shirt. You grabbed a cardigan to wear in case the cool air was too much. You grabbed the bag of clothes you had packed the night before, along with your phone, headphones, and wallet. You pulled up your messages with Ichiko and sent a short message telling her you were about to leave for Sendai. 

Ichiko had promised to meet you at the train station and walk you to the Sendai City Gymnasium, however, she couldn’t stay for the matches due to having piano lessons on Saturdays. You walked out of your room and to the kitchen, grabbing the bentos you had made the previous night to bring today. You made two, one for breakfast on the train and one for lunch at the gym. You tucked them neatly into your bag and grabbed your house keys before getting ready to leave. You slipped on your white trainers and left the house, locking the door behind you. 

Your train was due to leave in forty-five minutes and you were a twenty minute walk from the station. You put on your headphones and shuffled your favorite mix to get ready for the day ahead. 

You arrived at the station with plenty of time to spare, but it was too early for many of the shops to be open so you pulled out your phone and decided to send Tsukki a goodmorning/good luck text. 

**New Message**

**_To:_ ** _ tsukki _

good morning tsukki! be sure to eat a healthy breakfast! i’m rooting for you today! 

You took a photo of yourself doing peace signs to send with the text message. You smiled at your phone screen and sent the message before mindlessly scrolling through different apps, waiting for the train to come. You sat contently as  **_Adore You_ ** by Harry Styles rang through your headphones. 

**Honey**

**I'd walk through fire for you**

**Just let me adore you**

___________________________________

After the forty-five minute train ride, which you fell asleep on, you were in Sendai. It was currently 8:30 in the morning and the matches weren’t due to begin for a couple of hours. You looked around the Sendai station, searching for any signs of Ichiko. You had texted her before leaving but never got a response, hopefully she remembered the time of your train. 

After searching for a couple of minutes, you were about ready to give up and walk to the gymnasium on your own, but you saw Ichiko running at you at full force. Her hair was in a messy bun and it looked like she was still in pajamas. 

You laughed slightly as you removed your headphones to greet her. 

“Did you just wake up?”

Ichiko kneeled over, hands on her knees as she took heavy breaths. “Yes, you should’ve CALLED me when you were getting close to Sendai, you know how I always oversleep,” Ichiko whined and stood up straight, regaining her composure only momentarily before tackling you in a hug. “It’s so good to see you again, I missed you.” 

You laughed and returned her hug. “I’m glad to see you too, it would’ve been better if you had been on time to the station but it’s okay, I’ll forgive you, because I love you,” you smiled as Ichiko finally released her grip on you. 

She smiled and poked your cheek, a gesture you guys had started when you were both young that never went away. “I love you too, (Y/N)-chan,” she looped her arm through yours and began to walk you in the direction of the gymnasium. “I’m starving, do you want to get something to eat before I drop you off at the gym?” Ichiko asked. 

“I had a bento on the train, but I could go for some tea!” You smiled at her and she smiled back. 

“Great! I know this adorable little cafe on the way to the gym that serves tea  _ and  _ breakfast,” she laughed and sped up her walking pace, essentially dragging you alongside her. 

“Okay, okay, don’t tug my arm off Ichi-chan.” 

___________________________________

You and Ichiko were sitting outside of a small book cafe, you had ordered a hot green tea while Ichiko ordered two pastries as well as a smoothie. You were sipping your tea while Ichiko slurped down her smoothie, watching the people of Sendai walk by. It was so nice being in a cityscape. Everything near your house was just the boring old countryside.

“So which boy on the volleyball team do you like?” Ichiko asked. 

You felt your cheeks heat up immediately at her question. “W-why do you think I like any of them?” You wanted the question to come out as offended and strong, but it came out sounding embarrassed and shocked, like she knew something you didn’t want her to. You didn’t like anyone on the volleyball team, but for some reason your thoughts wandered to how you and Tsukki had hung out last night. 

“Why else would you come all the way to Sendai for a volleyball game? It’s not even an interesting sport to watch,” Ichiko scoffed and laughed. She figured she had struck a nerve with her question. 

“For your information, volleyball is very fun to watch. This isn’t my first time watching the team, plus I help out at practices sometimes,” you tried your best to avoid her initial question. 

“Stop avoiding my question (Y/N)-chan, I know you too well for you to try,” she laughed again. 

“I don’t like anyone on the team, I’m just friends with them. Two of the first year players are in my class at school, that’s how I got to know the team,” you shrug, trying to be nonchalant. 

“Hmmm, okay. But I don’t believe you. Guess I’ll have to figure it out at tomorrow’s match, if they make it that far,” Ichiko took a bite out of her chocolate pastry. 

“You’re coming to the match tomorrow?” You asked, not expecting Ichiko to want to come. She just said volleyball was boring and her schedule was usually extremely busy. 

“Well, duh. I gotta meet this boy you’re in love with and I wanna spend more time with you!” She laughed and shoved your shoulder. “If you’re here to watch volleyball games, I’ll be there with you. Other than today of course, my parents won’t let me skip piano even though I don’t need lessons anymore,” she sighed with exasperation. 

“Your parents don’t want you to forget you’re a prodigy,” you laughed. Ichiko had been an extremely talented piano player when you met her and she only got better through grade school. You watched her win awards and play recitals all over the country. “Also I’m not in love with anyone on the team, I just told you that,” you sighed with frustration, but you could never stay mad at Ichiko. She was just too lovable. 

“We’ll see,” she laughed and finished her second pastry. “Come on, I’ll walk you to the gym before I go to my lessons,” Ichiko stood up, dusted the crumbs off of her pajamas and offered a hand to you. “Lets go, (Y/N)-chan.” 

You smiled up at her and grabbed her hand. You guys walked like that, hand-in-hand, for the majority of the way to the gymnasium. You noticed some funny looks from passersby, but didn’t mind. Ichiko made you feel like everything was okay, and you didn’t want to let go. 

You guys approached the gym and she finally let go of your hand. 

“Okay, okay, do you have an estimated time of when you’ll be done? I’ll try my best to come pick you up so you don’t get lost,” Ichiko smiled at you. 

“I’m not really sure, I think the afternoon games start at 1:30 so if our team gets to the second game they should be done around 3:30 or 4:00 I think. I’ll text you updates,” you smiled back at Ichiko. Being around her made you forget the loss of your mom. It made you feel like a child again. 

“Hmm, okay I’ll try to be here at 3:00 and if they’re still playing, I can stay and watch with you. Now I gotta run, I’ll be late to piano if I don’t. I love you, (Y/N)-chan. Root for your team for me!” Ichiko wrapped you in a bear hug before running off the way you had come.

You watched her leave before approaching the gymnasium. There were so many teams milling around the outside of the gym, your eyes began to scan the crowds for a certain lanky, blonde male. 

Once you spotted Tsukki, standing out above the crowd, even in a sea of tall boys, you smiled and began to walk towards the team. Hinata was the first to notice you. 

“(Y/N)!” Hinata yelled and ran over to you, jumping like a maniac. 

You laughed and patted his orange hair. “Hi, Hinata. It’s good to see you too.”

The rest of the team began to approach you as well. You smiled at everyone and greeted them. 

“Thank you for the treats, (Y/N), the entire team appreciated them. But how come you weren’t able to give them to use yourself? Yamaguchi said you weren’t in school for the day either,” Daichi gave you his concerned dad look. You smiled at his kindness. 

“I wasn’t feeling too well yesterday, I think I stayed up too late baking,” you laughed and quickly glanced at Tsukki. You were glad he hadn’t told anyone about your argument yesterday. 

“Well we all really liked the melon bread, especially Tanaka, he kept raving about it,” Daichi laughed. 

You glanced over at Tanaka and saw his cheeks were pink. “Melon bread is my favorite food and it was a nice treat, what about it?” He yelled and you laughed. 

“I’m glad you liked it Tanaka-senpai. I’ll be sure to make extra for you next time,” you smiled at him and he looked like his brain had short circuited. 

Daichi laughed and gave you another small smile. “Alright everyone, let’s get inside and get checked in. The first match is in forty-five minutes.” 

You watched as Nishinoya and Ennoshita pushed a broken Tanaka towards the doors and Hinata and Kageyama tried to race. As everyone else began to walk towards the doors, you caught up with Tsukki and tried to walk next to him, his long legs allowed for lengthy strides, however, and you struggled to match his pace. 

“Will you slow down you idiot bean pole? I’m trying to walk with you,” you huffed. 

“I don’t walk next to runts,” Tsukki said, as he slowed his strides to match your pace. 

“Whatever, softie. You love to walk with me,” you smirked in victory up at him. He glared down at you, but his eyes were soft. 

“Whatever,” he huffed. 

You smiled and walked with him in a comfortable silence. While Ichiko made you feel like a child without any problems, Tsukki made you feel like you weren’t alone in dealing with them. Being around him made the burden feel so much lighter, as if the load was being shared by the two of you. 

“You better win today, I’m counting on being able to come see matches today and tomorrow. My friend Ichi-chan might even come so you guys gotta be good,” you shoved him slightly as the two of you walked behind the rest of the team. 

“Well now that I know some random friend of yours is coming, we’ve gotta win huh?” He shoved you back, harder, making you stumble as you walked. 

“Hey! I just thought I’d give you more reasons to want to win, no need to shove me,” you huffed and turned your nose up at him. “If you’re gonna be like that, maybe I’ll just root for the opposing team and hope they beat you guys into a pulp so I can go hangout with my friend for the day,” you let out a dramatic sigh before laughing. 

“Whatever, I don’t care what you do,” he stated, before looking at you with kind eyes. You noticed that in public, Tsukki only seemed to smile with his eyes, not letting the uninterested look on his face change all that much. 

“Sure you don’t,” you smiled and almost walked into Nishinoya who had stopped short in front of you. You glanced around Nishinoya, trying to get a view of what made the team stop. Up ahead, in teal and white tracksuits was a school you didn’t know about. “Who’s that?” You whispered to Tsukki. 

“Aoba Johsai High School. One of Kageyama’s upperclassmen is on that team and he’s apparently a really good setter. We played a practice match against them and won but I think we won because Oikawa, the good setter, wasn’t there for the majority of the game.” 

“Oh, so you guys are like rivals?” You asked him. 

“I guess you could say that. But they’re almost always the second best in the prefecture. They have a way better team than we do, I don’t know if we can beat them and Oikawa,” Tsukki said, looking over the crowd towards the other team. 

“Well you don’t know if you’ll lose until the final ball touches the ground,” you nudged him softly. “Don’t get all scared now, you guys are gonna kill it.” 

“I’m not scared, there’s no need to be. What happens will happen,” Tsukki shrugged. 

“You should be more enthusiastic than that Mr. Apathetic,” you sighed and shook your head at Tsukki’s disinterested attitude. Daichi clapped his hands to get the team's attention. 

“Okay guys! Official warm-ups start in 30 minutes, I want everyone stretched and loose, ready for the first game. Remember, focus on the opponent at hand before you start worrying about the next opponent!” Daichi pulled everyone into a huddle for a pre-warm-up chant. You stepped back, not wanting to intrude on their team traditions. 

You watched as everyone put their heads together and yelled “Karasuno, FIGHT!” 

___________________________________

The second set against Tokonami High School was currently underway and you were watching intently. You cheered each time Karasuno scored and gave them waves when the boys glanced up at you. Tsukki had been adamantly avoiding your gaze which made you feel frustrated, but you still continued to cheer extra hard for him. You watched as Karasuno increased their lead against Tokonami. 

You admired the boys of the volleyball team, they gave one hundred percent effort in each of their plays. 

Before you knew it, the second set was wrapping up with Karasuno winning 25 to 14. It was before noon, so you knew the boys had some time to cool down and eat lunch before their next game at 1:30. You smiled down at the team before grabbing your things and running down to meet them in the gym lobby. 

You jumped off the last stair and began running through the crowds of people to the doors to the court. You stopped and watched the boys walk through the doors, an air of victory surrounding them. You smiled to yourself and you could just tell how proud they were. 

You walked over to them with the widest smile on your face. Nishinoya and Tanaka were there to greet you first. The two boys jumped towards you to give you high-fives. You used both hands to give each of them a high-five while praising them on a game well played. 

“You guys were so awesome, you did so well!” You gave them a big smile and they both looked ready to pass out from receiving praise from you. They smiled sheepishly at one another and wandered off. 

You greeted and gave congratulations to each player. After having attended so many practices, you were getting used to all of the team members and they were all getting used to you. Tsukki and Yamaguchi were the last two to walk through the gym doors and you gave Yamaguchi a high-five and congratulated him, even though he hadn’t played in the game. 

You stood in front of Tsukki, looking up at him, and gave him the biggest smile you could muster. 

“Good job, Tsukki. I’m proud of you,” you gave him a thumbs up. 

He scoffed and walked around you. “I don’t need praise from a runt,” even though his words were laced with their usual coldness, he put a hand on top of your head and ruffled your hair slightly. 

You giggled softly at how he ruffled your hair. “Fine, if you don’t want praise, I’ll make sure to tell everyone, except you, that they played well,” you turned your nose up at him and began to walk towards Kageyama and Hinata, who were having some random competition in the middle of the walkway. 

Tsukki stopped you by putting his hand back on your head. “I was kidding, you loser,” he said. He leaned down so his mouth was close to your ear and whispered, “Don’t stop. You help me play better.” 

You could feel your cheeks heating up at his words. You couldn’t manage to form any words so you just nodded and mumbled something incoherent. 

Why did Tsukki have that effect on you? Why was he able to scramble all of your thoughts with a simple seven words? 

Tsukki removed his hand and began to walk towards his team, leaving you frozen. You shook your head, trying to get rid of the lingering feeling of Tsukki’s breath against your ear. 

You sighed and then took quick steps in order to catch up to Tsukki. You walked by his side silently. Thoughts of Ichiko’s questions about who you liked on the volleyball team suddenly filled your mind. You glanced up at Tsukki and thought about how he made you feel versus the rest of the team. 

Everything with Tsukki could be so complicated though. Just yesterday morning he was upset with you but by the end of the day he was at your house eating dinner with you. You thought about the emotional rollercoaster your friendship was with Tsukki. It made you smile, though, thinking of the moments you two had shared. 

But that didn’t mean you liked him. Tsukki just knew how to press your buttons in the right way. That’s the type of person Tsukki was, he loved to press the buttons of the people around him. 

You sighed, frustrated by your feelings. You definitely didn’t like Tsukki. 

Right? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for not updating for so long but ta da! chapter eleven! i hope you all enjoy! thank you for over 1200 hits! im so happy you guys are enjoying!


End file.
